Wetness---the first thing he felt.

It traced a slow, deliberate path down the side of his face, cold as rainwater, warm as skin. The sensation dragged him back from the dark, thread by trembling thread.
His lashes fluttered. Something heavy pressed against his ribs---soil, damp and choking, packed into the corners of his mouth and nose. He tried to breathe, but the air was thick, foreign, filled with earth.